“Get out of here,” Sofie yells. “Do you know who she belongs to?”
“The fucking loony bin,” Liam snorts.
“The Joker’s Wrath MC.”
Dead. Silence.
“What did you say?” Michael splutters.
“You heard me? Her brother-in-law is the president, so get the fuck out of here before I call them.”
I hear nothing more but scurrying. Sofie leans down and places a hand on my shoulder. “Honey, tell me what he did?”
“H . . . h . . . h . . . he,” I gasp. “H . . . h . . . h . . . h . . . he . . .”
“Take a breath, sweetie.”
I close my eyes and try to stop my trembling hands. I take a deep breath. “He touched me.”
“Shit,” she yells. “Shit!”
I say nothing. My stomach coils angrily and I feel like I might vomit.
“Pippa, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you had stopped and Michael was getting grabby. By the time I got him off and found you . . .”
“It’s not . . .” I swallow, “. . . your fault.”
“Who can I call? Tell me who can help?”
I don’t think—I just speak.
“Tyke.”
“Tyke?” she asks.
“On my ph . . . ph . . . ph . . . phone.”
“Okay, honey, just sit tight.”
She digs through my purse and I tuck my legs up to my chest, repeating the words over and over.
Fucking freak.
Looney bin.
Fucking freak.
Looney bin.
“Is this Tyke?” I hear Sofie ask.
Silence.
“I’m Pippa’s friend, Sofie. Listen, we’re at the beach and something has happened with these guys and—”
I turn to look at her and see her face pale.
“Yes, she’s with me. She asked for you and—”
Tyke is obviously cutting her off, because her eyes go wide.
“Yes, that’s the beach.”
She pulls the phone from her ear and glances down at it, then looks to me.
“He’s a biker, isn’t he?”
I nod, saying nothing.
“He’s coming.”
She sits down beside me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. We sit in silence until the roar of Harley-Davidsons’ break through. That rumble, to me, means danger. Nothing could be more terrifying than a group of bikers, especially when they’re angry. Lights flash over us, and then I hear the sounds of boots crunching in the sand.
“Pippa?”
Maddox. Not who I expected.
Sofie turns and makes a yelping sound, and when I turn I see why.
There are fifteen, at least, of them standing on the sand. Maddox is at the front, flanked by Mack, Krypt and Tyke. I force myself to my feet and turn, my legs shaking. Maddox reaches out, cupping my cheek in his massive hand. “Are they still here?”
I open my mouth to speak, but Tyke steps forward. Walking on sand would be agony for him, and I can tell by the awkward way he’s standing. It doesn’t stop him from shoving Maddox out of the way and wrapping an arm around me.
“What happened, little one?”
I start crying again, hating that I’m so damned weak.
Fucking freak.
Tyke jerks and looks towards Sofie, who is still staring, gaping at the group of men. “Sofie, is it?”
She turns to Tyke and her eyes get bigger. “Ah, yes.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
She nods quickly. “Well, we were talking to a few guys and they offered to walk us back to our car. The one I was with, ah, led me further ahead and when I turned back Pippa and Liam weren’t behind me. I got to them, and well . . .”
“Well what?” Tyke roars, making me flinch in fear.
“Hey,” Maddox growls, grabbing his arm and hauling him back. “This isn’t about you, brother.”
Tyke takes a deep breath and looks to me. He takes my face in his gentle yet rugged hand, and says softly, “Baby, tell me what he did.”
“H . . . h . . . h . . . h . . . he . . .”
“Take your time.”
I close my eyes and whisper, “He touched me.”
Tyke flinches and his voice comes out like acid when he asks, “Where?”
I meet his eyes and I don’t need to answer for him to know. He knows. He can read it in my eyes. His face goes slack, his eyes burn with something unspoken, and then he turns to Sofie. “Where is he?”
“He left . . . I don’t think he’s here.”
“What’s his last name?”
Her eyes widen. “I don’t, ah, know . . .”
“What about his friend?”
She shifts uncomfortably, and Krypt steps forward. Her eyes flick to him, and get huge again. He bends so he’s right in her line of sight. “Not goin’ to come back on you, honey. We just need to know.”
She nods and squeaks, “Michael Sheyland. He gave me his name and number.”
Krypt nods. “Pass it onto me, yeah?”
She does as he asks.
“Let’s ride,” Maddox orders. “Mack, take Pippa home to Santana. We’ll follow soon.”
My heart rate speeds up and I cry out, “Maddox, what are you going to do?”
Maddox looks to me, then steps forward and captures me by the neck, gently of course. He leans down, kisses my forehead, and then rasps, “Make him pay the way he deserves.”
“No,” I croak. “Please.”